Festival Plaza brings thousands of people to downtown Shreveport -- so what?

It'd be hard to argue the venue hasn't served its intended purpose, but the businesses downtown don't rack up customers from folks looking for a bigger, broader experience in that part of the city.

"There's nothing interesting to do downtown or a reason to walk around or interesting things to look at," Shreveporter Stacey Crawford said. She'd be more inclined to explore downtown if there were a few antique shops or other retail outlets.

But her husband's not much interested in going past Festival Plaza. "People come for these festivals, and that's the reason these festivals are popular," David Crawford said. "The city has done a great job providing a place for them."

The Red River Revel, of which the 2014 run is underway through Saturday, can attract as many as 150,000 people downtown over the course of its eight-day run. Mudbug Madness can bring as many as 80,000 in just four days. And over the 10 days of Holiday in Dixie, another 100,000 or so experience what Festival Plaza has to offer.

But if increasing the kind of downtown foot traffic that's good for business is even a secondary goal of Festival Plaza activities, it's falling short.

"There are a lot of ways we could be working better together so everyone wins when we have these big festivals," said Liz Swaine, executive director of Shreveport's Downtown Development Authority.

It's a classic chicken-and-egg scenario.

If major local festivals such as the Red River Revel and Mudbug Madness spread activity outside of Festival Plaza — either by hosting simultaneous events off site or by altering their normal operations in wider swaths — folks might be more inclined to explore downtown.

But what's the point of doing that when there are only a handful or retailers and restaurants in the whole district?

"Saturday is one of our best days of the week. We had one customer Saturday," said Lena's Shoes and Fashion owner Lena Thomason. "Every one of these parking places was taken up because people were going to the Revel."

The store has been selling women's shoes and accessories for more than 30 years at its Milam Street location across from the Caddo Courthouse. Business has tumbled in that time; the storefronts all around are shuttered.

Because of that, even if the festival was wider than it is tall, Thomason said there still wouldn't be much reason for even window shoppers to come by. "It needs to be right where it's at, centrally located, and I know people have a hard time finding parking.

"I just wish there were more stores downtown. This used to be the hobnob. We've seen it go both ways already," Thomason said. "I haven't even thought about the Revel being down there."

At Bus Depot, a Crockett Street convenience store across from the SporTran bus terminal, owner Gremishia Thomas said she only sees a bump in the business of snack, cigarette and soft drink peddling during Holiday in Dixie. Every other festival diminishes her normal business.

"I might have a few people come in to get change for the parking meter. Most people know downtown doesn't have many businesses. Most people don't even know I'm here."

Operators of some downtown bars — like Stray Cat or Fatty Arbuckle's — said they see slight bumps in business in the after-dark hours during festival weekends, but it's nothing to write home about. Before it was shuttered, Noble Savage Tavern employees rarely were particularly busy after Festival Plaza events.

Those who do wander out of Festival Plaza looking for another round of beers might be a small percentage of the total crowd, but they're welcome in the barrooms.

"The more that happens down there, the more people we get. They just stay downtown," Fatty Arbuckle's proprietor Chase Boytim said. "There's no dedicated parking right by Festival Plaza, so they park all over downtown. The festivals are beneficial, and for everyone around us, too."

Shreveport's biggest festival, Mudbug Madness, doesn't need overflow space even as the fête begins to exceed 20,000 visitors on its best days, according to chairwoman Terri Mathews.

"We're more of that big crawfish boil-type atmosphere of a backyard party. It works perfectly for our sales and our revenue," she said. "A big party does better when you have that energy, when you're playing off the energy of the music, the smells of the food, the arts and crafts, the people.

"When you get it too spread out, you don't feel that. You have to go looking for it. We don't want people to go looking for at it. We want them to feel it the moment they walk in."

That design seems to be working.

Many Red River Revel attendees said there wasn't much for them to do after the festivities. Some said local bars and restaurants could catch their business if their energy isn't already drained or they're after some weekend fun.

"If we had come on the weekend, we may have done something else like a casino. Or, if we didn't eat here, maybe the Blind Tiger," said Dylan McWhiney, a north Bossier City resident. "There's a lot of potential if they renovate some of the old buildings or maybe added some art galleries."

Rici and Shirley Loc, who attended the Red River Revel on Tuesday afternoon, said there wasn't much left for them to do after they were done.

"After hours, there's really no place to go but the local bars," Shirley Loc said. "We usually just go home afterward during the week. On the weekend, I'm sure we'd do something."

Rici Loc said that something, for many, is going to Phoenix Underground, where he's employed and where he said he notices a sizable post-party presence on the nights of Festival Plaza events.

But those who prefer not to drink — along with those who can't — lack many other options downtown.

"There's not really any shopping. I guess there're bars or a walk down the river," said local Morgan Tarrance. "But for underage people like me, there's just not a lot to do."

Just a 200-mile drive south on Interstate 49 is an annual example of how small, bundled festival energy eventually must explode and expand to the benefit of the year-round resident businesses.

Lafayette's Festival International de Louisiane began its life with one stage in a park. It now hosts 400,000 guests over a 12-block area.

"A lot of people come to Festival International because there is that groundedness of being downtown and being able to find the corners where it's less crowded or off the beaten path," said Missy Paschke-Wood, executive director. "Festival International was designed to help bring people back downtown."

Each of the festival's five stages has its own manager and volunteer staff. And many — but not all — of the nearby, local businesses make an effort to offer specials and programming to coax festivalgoers through their doors.

At Poupart Bakery in downtown Lafayette, owner Patrick Poupart said his location serves him well just by virtue of the expanded number of feet walking by his store. He offers a quick-hit, takeout menu during festival days and sets up an off-site booth to catch traffic elsewhere.

"It brings so many people downtown, and those people come to have a good time and are willing to spend some money," Poupart said. "During that festival weekend, I'll do a month of sales in three days."

Without a dozen city blocks, Paschke-Wood said the festival wouldn't exist in its current form. "It would be impossible. We're already bursting at the seams."

Shreveport's Festival Plaza is such a popular venue that event planning is starting to overlap, the DDA's Swaine said, and there just aren't other dedicated spaces to accommodate a quickly filling festival calendar.

Mudbug Madness and the Red River Revel both take a handful of days to set up inside Festival Plaza, rendering the space unusable to other activities and groups during that time, she said. "Festival Plaza is a great concept, and it's worked well and people know it.

"But we have so many festivals along with the farmers' market that I think the time has come to look at some additional venues."

The Red River District, the now city-owned entertainment and shopping area under the Texas Street bridge, could grow into a space for festivals and shows, Swaine said. Or, sometime in the nondescript future when the SporTran bus terminal downtown moves, even the massive pavilion there could be converted.

If downtown businesses feel they're getting cut out of the traffic funneling into the city's hub during festival time, Swaine and Mathews said there's plenty they can do to promote — before, during and after — and snag up some of the people before they head home.